Classical Conditioning

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that naturally triggers a response without prior learning, like food causing salivation in dogs.

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

The automatic, unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus, such as salivation when dogs see food.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

A previously neutral stimulus that, after being paired with an unconditioned stimulus, triggers a conditioned response, like the bell in Pavlov's experiment.

Conditioned Response (CR)

The learned response to a conditioned stimulus, like salivation in response to the bell after conditioning.

Generalisation

When stimuli similar to the original conditioned stimulus evoke the conditioned response, like salivating to a bell with a different pitch.

Discrimination

When an organism learns to respond to specific stimuli and not to others, like salivating only to a specific bell tone.

Extinction

The diminishing of a conditioned response when the conditioned stimulus is presented without the unconditioned stimulus, like the bell without food leading to no salivation.

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response after a pause, like salivating to the bell after a period of not hearing it.

Higher Order Conditioning

When a new stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus by being paired with an existing conditioned stimulus, like a light causing salivation because it was associated with the bell.